America 2017 = France 1789

Authored by James Howard Kunstler via Kunstler.com,

We are looking more and more like France on the eve of its revolution in 1789. Our classes are distributed differently, but the inequity is just as sharp. America’s “aristocracy,” once based strictly on bank accounts, acts increasingly hereditary as the vapid offspring and relations of “stars” (in politics, showbiz, business, and the arts) assert their prerogatives to fame, power, and riches - think the voters didn’t grok the sinister import of Hillary’s “it’s my turn” message?

What’s especially striking in similarity to the court of the Bourbons is the utter cluelessness of America’s entitled power elite to the agony of the moiling masses below them and mainly away from the coastal cities. Just about everything meaningful has been taken away from them, even though many of the material trappings of existence remain: a roof, stuff that resembles food, cars, and screens of various sizes.

But the places they are supposed to call home are either wrecked — the original small towns and cities of America — or replaced by new “developments” so devoid of artistry, history, thought, care, and charm that they don’t add up to communities, and are so obviously unworthy of affection, that the very idea of “home” becomes a cruel joke.

These places were bad enough in the 1960s and 70s, when the people who lived in them at least were able to report to paying jobs assembling products and managing their distribution. Now those people don’t have that to give a little meaning to their existence, or cover the costs of it. Public space was never designed into the automobile suburbs, and the sad remnants of it were replaced by ersatz substitutes, like the now-dying malls. Everything else of a public and human associational nature has been shoved into some kind of computerized box with a screen on it.

The floundering non-elite masses have not learned the harsh lesson of our time that the virtual is not an adequate substitute for the authentic, while the elites who create all this vicious crap spend millions to consort face-to-face in the Hamptons and Martha’s Vineyard telling each other how wonderful they are for providing all the artificial social programming and glitzy hardware for their paying customers.

The effect of this dynamic relationship so far has been powerfully soporific. You can deprive people of a true home for a while, and give them virtual friends on TV to project their emotions onto, and arrange to give them cars via some financing scam or other to keep them moving mindlessly around an utterly desecrated landscape under the false impression that they’re going somewhere — but we’re now at the point where ordinary people can’t even carry the costs of keeping themselves hostage to these degrading conditions.

The next big entertainment for them will be the financial implosion of the elites themselves as the governing forces of physics finally overcome all the ruses and stratagems of the elites who have been playing games with money. Professional observers never tires of saying that the government can’t run out of money (because they can always print more of it) but they can certainly destroy the value of that money and shred the consensual confidence that allows it to operate as money.

That’s exactly what is about to commence at the end of the summer when the government runs out of cash-on-hand and congress finds itself utterly paralyzed by party animus to patch the debt ceiling problem that disables new borrowing. The elites may be home from the Hamptons and the Vineyard by then, but summers may never be the same for them again.

The Deep State may win its war against the pathetic President Trump, but it won’t win any war against the imperatives of the universe and the way that expresses itself in the true valuation of things. And when the moment of clarification arrives — the instant of cosmic price discovery — the clueless elites will have to really and truly worry about the value of their heads.

Carl Bernstein: "Cold Civil War" Has Taken Over Media; "Fact-Based Debate Is Becoming Impossible"

To say that the U.S. media has a developed a bit of a credibility issue of late would be an understatement.  Mass hysteria over Trump"s victory in November has clearly resulted in a staggering deterioration in reporting standards as dropping the latest "bombshell" and inflicting the latest wound on the Trump administration has been prioritized over truthful, fact-based reporting.  All of which, as we"ve noted frequently of late, has resulted in a number of embarrassing corrections from several major media outlets who have been forced to admit their reporting was just outright "fake news."

And, in case you missed it, Carl Bernstein, who is best known for his investigative reporting for the Washington Post that shed light on the Watergate scandal, appeared on CNN, of all places, this weekend to discuss the media"s credibility issue which he argued has largely developed in the "cable news era" as media outlets have become increasingly politicized in their race for ratings.

Among other things, Bernstein said that media outlets in this country are engaged in a "cold civil war" and that, as a result, "fact-based debate is becoming impossible."

"The difference between Watergate and now is that we are in the midst of a cold civil war in this country.  A political and cultural civil war and all of our reporting is taking place in the context of that cold civil war.  And nothing quite like existed at the time of Watergate."

"And part of the cold civil war itself is the configuration of media with Fox News, with CNN, being perceived by different sets of viewers as representing different truths.  When, in fact, Fox has changed American politics as perhaps no institution has since its invention in 1996."

"But also cable news itself is a different form than we had at the time of Watergate.  We didn"t see reporters on television discussing their stories.  We do go farther on the air now by having reporters from the Washington Post, the New York Times, CNN expand on their stories on the air.  Viewers are getting more interpreted information." 

"It is a different media universe and it is a cauldron taking place in this hot house of political debate in which a fact-based debate is becoming impossible in this culture and that"s part of the difficulty here.  We"re just lobbing accusations back and forth...in which a fact-based environment is almost impossible to maintain as long as the principals are willing to engage in the kind of rhetoric and lying that we have seen in this exchange of late."

The "News" Is Content-Free

Authored by Charles Hugh Smith via OfTwoMinds blog,

We"re "your" trustworthy news source, even though we"re all owned by six corporations or billionaires with political agendas.

The "news" has loomed large in The News--a classic self-referential loop in which the media itself becomes its own content. While the controversy over what constitutes "fake news" and "real news" has itself become "the news," the cold reality is all "news," "real" or otherwise, is content-free.

The "news" is so devoid of content that a simple software program could assemble a semi-random daily selection of headlines, scrolling banners, and radio/TV "news" reports from a pool of typical "news" stories and insert a bit of context (local highways that are congested, rough neighborhoods where shootings occur, names of local authorities, etc.), and the consumer of "news" would be hard-pressed to tell the difference between the randomly generated "news" and the "real news."

Here"s a taste of the Random Content-Free News Generator Application that would produce "news" that was virtually indistinguishable from the "real" news.

Traffic is backed up near the (insert the usual congestion point) on the I-XX (local Interstate/highway). (TV/video: show randomly selected video clip of slow-moving traffic).

A serious accident occurred on I-XX (TV newscasters look somber if the wreck resulted in fatalities.)

Local Authorities held a news conference to Say What People Want to Hear about (insert hot-button topic): this concern is being addressed by authorities. We"ve got top people working on this--top people. (Newscasters look serious.)

A horrific terrorist attack occurred somewhere in the world--insert semi-randomly selected city, with preference given to Mideast and Central Asian war zones and Western capitals.

Bad weather of some kind is threatening us, or could threaten us shortly. (Insert video clip of flooding, heavy rain, or scorching heat in desert climes, etc.)

Sports celebrity XYZ apologizes for (choose one or more: spousal abuse, gambling, serial infidelity, public drunkenness, loutish treatment of adoring fans, etc.) while his wife/family/attorney hover in the background.

Coach XYZ explains why the team lost: the other team made some key plays, we lost focus, our guys/gals gave it their all, but we see some areas of improvement we"re going to work on, etc.

The latest food fad taking the hipster "hoods by storm is (combine traditional ingredient with an Asian or Indian flavor: kim-chee-flavored watermelon, etc.)

Somebody graduated (heart-warming story that gives newscasters a chance to smile): insert video of cute kindergartners collecting their diplomas, Grandmother in cap and gown, etc. (An over-credentialed society loves to see graduations, especially of kids, elders and underdogs--supporting the narrative that our meritocracy thrives on piling up credentials.)

Good news on the economy: insert manipulated official statistic on declining unemployment, higher median wages, rising home values, etc. Alternative report: insert story of an underdog taking ownership of a house for the first time, new food truck serving customers, etc.

You don"t see this every day: insert YouTube clip of person being struck by lightning but miraculously walking away, truck overturning on a highway, spilling huge steel girders, etc.

More evidence surfaces that Russia Did Something Bad to Us (insert random clip of Putin, Russian missiles, etc.)

Self-congratulatory advertorial: We"re doing a great job here, folks, of investigating what needs to be investigated and reporting what needs to be reported, etc. Count on us for "real news." We"re "your" trustworthy news source, even though we"re all owned by six corporations or billionaires with political agendas:

Millennials Seek "Generic Father Figure" For Backyard BBQ On Craigslist

A group of millennials in Spokane, Washington are seeking a “generic father figure” to help them host a barbecue on Father"s Day weekend.  In the Craigslist post which has explicably since gone viral, college student Dane Anderson and his “boys” are offering free food and booze to any enterprising area dad who’s willing to come to their party next Saturday and man the grill for a few hours.

Anderson, who was interviewed by local NBC affiliate KHQ, says he created the post because he and his roommates, who range in age from 21 to 26, live too far away from their own dads.

For any interested dads, duties include:

• Grilling hamburgers and hotdogs (whilst drinking beer)


• Bringing your own grill (though this is subject to change. We will provide all of the meat)


• Refer to all attendees as "Big Guy", "Chief", "Sport", "Champ" etc. (whilst drinking beer)


• Talk about dad things, like lawnmowers, building your own deck, Jimmy Buffet, etc. Funny anecdotes are highly encouraged. All whilst drinking beer.

The "boys" are looking for dads with a minimum of 18 years" experience as a father, a minimum of 10 years" grilling experience and "an appreciation of a nice, cold beer on a hot summer day." For what it"s worth, Anderson & Co. say they know how to grill, but that “none of us are prepared to fill the role of BBQ dad.”

Oh, and since we are talking about millennials broke college students, Anderson says he and his roommates can’t afford to pay their stand-in “dad", though they’re offering compensation in the form of "all the food and cold beer your heart desires.”

Anderson told KHQ that the ad has yielded a handful of responses. But at least one interested dad didn’t pan out.

"There was one guy stan who sent us a message but then he stopped replying,” Anderson told KHQ. Now that the media has helped transform Anderson"s post into a viral sensation, he and his roommates might try and recruit as many as three dads to help with the festivities.

“We’re just looking for a dad to come and crack a cold one with the boys,” Dane said. The nature of Anderson"s relationship with his own father – and whether or not he plans to call and wish him a happy father’s day – remains unclear.

"Let's Burn Down The Universities"

Authored by JC Collins via Philosophy of Metrics blog,

An Offensive Act of Self Defence to Save the Great School of Western Thought

It should be clear to all reasoning people with the ability for critical thinking that a pattern of cultural warfare has been unfolding against the Western world since at least the end of World War Two. The contrast between what was then and what is now is stark and frightening. It should serve as all the evidence we require to make the final determination about what has been happening.

The complete destruction of the traditional family unit has taken place through a process of indirect and direct attacks against the proven characteristics of Western civilization. It should be obvious that media and art have orchestrated a well-thought out strategy of cultural warfare against the masculine and feminine ideals and support columns of culture.

This strategy has attacked the natural and instinctual strengths of both men and women while promoting the weakness from within each of us as individuals. The battles of this cultural attack have been orchestrated and waged from inside the once great structures of Western thought.

Our educational buildings and curriculums have been used to erode and shatter all the ideals of natural and instinctual existence which have developed within the Western mind. The more we remember and rediscover, the more we realize that almost everything which is taught in our schools is either a corrupt twisted version of truth, or is an outright lie and fabrication.

If our curriculums were based on truth they would not need the constant changing and tweaking which takes takes place. Nor would it require involvement of government controls. All are tell-tale signs that something smells rotten in Denmark.

Over the years there have been various exposé and theories surrounding everything from the Frankfurt School, the Tavistock Institute, Lucis Trust, Freemasonic control of all things, Satanism, Bilderberg, Trilateral, Rhodes, and so on and so on. The plethora of culprits and evil organizations run the gambit of all human elitism and consolidation of wealth and power.

Not withstanding some truth to this large list of nefarious actors, and not to mention that the stated longterm goals of these groups and organizations match with the results which have been achieved since the end of the war, there is much more to the expanding collapse of Western civilization which needs to be considered.

In the posts The Wisdom of the Ancients – Part One and How Your Brain is Turned Against You, we reviewed our own accountabilities and responsibilities alongside some of the techniques which are used against us. It should be clear that we may have to listen to the sales pitch of a huckster but it doesn’t mean we have to believe that huckster. The theme from those posts is that if we don’t plan our own lives someone else will plan it for us. This is in essence what is happening.

We have been conditioned to follow and plan our lives along a very specific path which forces us further down into the systemic control mechanisms which have taken hold of our culture. You are left to plan your life within this strategic grid. This grid contains multiple pathways which all lead through the false teachings and methodologies which have been manufactured by those who wish to devolve and re-engineer Western civilization. The trap ensures you continue bouncing around inside the construct with an ever growing sense of confusion and hopelessness.

Those who do not agree with the teachings of the construct are made to feel regressive and are told they are the problem in society for which the construct exists in the first place. This script is supported by all forms of media, including movies, music, social media, both mainstream and alternative media, as well as school curriculums, from the early pre-school sessions to the “advanced” learnings which are communicated and rehearsed in colleges and universities.

Please ask yourself a question. Does it feel like our culture has been progressive? Everything that has a seed in human weakness and depravity has been promoted and expanded across the decades. Our culture is over-sexualized. We thieve and betray one another over the smallest rewards. The murder of unborn children is accepted as righteous even though it ruins the emotional spirit of the mother. Racism against anything rooted in traditional Western culture is out of control. Our children are taught at an early age about the degenerate sex world. Massive migration has undermined the Western ideals and systems of belief which have been a part of its growth and greatness for thousands of years. Alcoholism is both openly promoted and applauded through the subtle insinuations in the media. The rampant fragmentation of the family unit and a corrupt and unreliable system of law which supports that fragmentation are the greatest loss we have experienced. This is all supported by an educational system which is reducing critical thinking and dumbing down generations.

This does not feel progressive. When we consider the stark changes which have taken place over the last eight decades we should come to the conclusion that it is in fact regressive. All of the technological advancements would still have taken place without the corruption of Western civilization, so any form of counter-argument about science and the advancement of medicine and technology being possible because of this “progressive” culture stands in opposition and denial of the leaps made during the agricultural and industrial revolutions.

Similar lines of thought regarding colonialism and the slave trade are often made by the regressive left educational institutions and supporting media. But these arguments also stand in opposition to the truthful history of the world where we find that all cultures had forms of colonialism and slave trades are wide and diverse, with there being more slavery in the world today than at any other time in world history.

The disease has burrowed itself so deep into our institutions that it is hard to imagine how we would remove it without completely destroying the host. But what choice to we have at this late hour? Continuing as we have been is tantamount to surrender and shackling our descendants with an unthinkable ideology of absolute sameness and collectivism.

It’s interesting that more and more students are coming out of the university system and understanding that they in fact understand nothing. The loss of critical thinking and a cultural anchor point, both of which have been a part of the collective-socialist strategy, are now beginning to awaken more of those who have been traversing through the system. It’s almost as if nature and instinct are re-emerging from within the individual minds of the construct and attempting to establish new anchor points.

Now is the time to act and reverse the momentum which has thus far worked against us. We need to tear down the institutions and framework of the simulated world which has built up around us. The great school of the Western mind cannot be destroyed and it will never stop learning. In fact, this challenge, the one we have been faced with now for generations, could very well end up being one of our greatest lessons and opportunities for advancement.

Bernie Sanders Cut Off After Saying 'CNN Fake News, Whaddaya Think?'

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Italy Bond Risk Soars To 3-Year Highs As Youth Unemployment Tops 40%

The last 4 months have seen something "odd" happen in Europe"s periphery. Sovereign "risk" has conspicuously (and rationally) risen as macro-fundamentals have deteriorated - something that we have not seen since Draghi"s 2012 "whatever it takes" moment.

For the first time since June 2015, Italian youth unemployment has risen above 40% and notably, Italian bond yields are rising...

And the result is growing concerns about Italy"s idiosyncratic risk as the risk premium of BTPs over Bunds soars to its highest sicne 2014 (worst now than the Referendum peak)...

Time for moar "whatever it takes" - just ignore the transitory inflation surge and currency war warnings from Trump.

Indiana YMCA Bans CNN Over Complaints About Constant Barrage of "Fake News"

Last Friday night, the Valparaiso Family YMCA in Indiana abruptly stopped airing CNN on its televisions in the facility"s wellness and exercise area.  According the the Chicago Tribune, the decision was made by the Y"s CEO, Robert Wanek, after dozens of complaints were lodged from guests regarding CNN"s obvious "political bias" and constant reporting of "fake news."

"It"s the No. 1 problem we have in the wellness area," Koeppen told me. "Trying to please everyone, which I"m sure you can appreciate."

On Monday morning, she said YMCA officials had a meeting about the complaints. It culminated with a press release statement later that day from Robert Wanek, CEO of the Valpo Y.

"In order to eliminate perceived political bias associated with national news outlets, the Valparaiso Family YMCA will only be showing local news channels in the future," he said.

I asked Wanek to better explain exactly what happened last Friday night to prompt this change in TV viewing which, as far as I know, has been the same for many years.

"I cannot pinpoint the change origins, only to add that we get dozens of requests to change channels every day from numerous interest groups," he replied.

The move from the Indiana Y came just one day after Trump"s now infamous on-air spat with CNN"s Jim Acosta over an "intelligence" dossier that CNN reported on but later was revealed to be completely "fake news."

Of course, not everyone was happy with the decision to change the channel on CNN which had been playing in the Valparaiso Family YMCA for 15 consecutive years.

So, I asked, no more national news networks such as CNN, C-Span, MSNBC or FOX News will be aired inside the Y for members?

No, he replied. "Only Chicago channels. Actually, we never had FOX news, just Fox 32."

Not all Y members, including me, are in favor of this rather abrupt decision.

"The policy that the YMCA has just put out is a victory for those who complained," said Greg Quartucci of Valparaiso, who"s been a Y member for more than 15 years. "CNN has been on a TV at the Y for those 15 years, and I am disappointed that the Y removed CNN because of complaints."

Quartucci said Y staff members told him that CNN was removed due to complaints about "fake news" from other members.

"I suggested (Wanek) play all news channels, but he would not relent," Quartucci said.

Perhaps it"s time for CNN"s President Jeff Zucker to revisit his assessment that CNN"s "credibility is higher than ever."

'Policing For Profit' Goes To The Next Level

Submitted by Eric Peters via EricPetersAutos.com,

It’s bad enough getting arrested – especially when you didn’t do anything to warrant it. This happens all the time, because the the threshold for arresting someone is very low. It can be done by any cop, pretty much anytime – without much in the way of legal justification. He has the gun – and the handcuffs, after all. If he wants to arrest you, he will arrest you. Maybe the courts will sort it out later; eventually you are released, your record “cleared.”

This isn’t new – or news.

What is new – and ought to be news – is that several states have begun charging people “processing” and “incarceration” fees for their bogus arrest and subsequent just-as-bogus caging.

Minnesota and Kentucky are among the states that levy fees on people who are merely arrested and taken to the clink… even if they are never convicted of anything. In some cases, the people being charged for “services” rendered are never formally charged with any crime (which is something a prosecutor must do; a cop hasn’t got the power to do more than arrest you on suspicion of violating a statute).

It’s policing for profit taken to the next (entirely predictable) level.

Why not, after all?

Most states already have “just take it” laws on the books that empower cops to simply seize cash and other property prior to any judicial proceeding  – and to keep it, even if there never is a judicial proceeding.

The mere fact that you have “excessive” cash on your person is sufficient legal justification in many states to result in its forfeiture – until you prove to their satisfaction it wasn’t “drug” money.

It is not their burden to establish… anything.

Franz Kafka, phone home.

We also have the equally egregious precedent of for-profit enforcement of traffic laws – coincident with the suspension (or at least, the watering down) of any semblance of procedural innocent-until-proved guilty. Cities and counties contract with a private company (the notorious Redflex being the chief profiteer) to install automated red light and speed cameras that chuck tickets to offenders automatically, via the mail – with the offender presumed guilty until he proves himself innocent.

The ticket is sent to the registered owner of the vehicle – who is not necessarily the person who was driving when the camera snapped the photo of the car’s plates and chucked a ticket to the owner. But the owner must prove it wasn’t him – as opposed to the former necessity of the state/county having to prove it was.

Meanwhile, pay up.

So it’s not surprising that states have decided to begin charging people for charging them – that is, accusing them of something. There’s even more potential profit in this since a cop can arrest anyone at any time – just about.

The evidentiary bar has been set extremely low – and whole categories of “crime” have been confected or defined so loosely (e.g., “disorderly conduct,” “interfering” with a law enforcer) as to make an arrest almost a matter of whim.

Now add a profit motive to the mix.

In economic terms, hanging a dollar sign on every citizen within handcuffing range of a cop is an incentive to handcuff as many citizens as possible. They are, after all, paying customers.

Can arrest quotas be far behind? Remember, many state/county cops already have ticket quotas, precisely because of the profit motive. And note that, in some states, even if you successfully fight a traffic ticket, you are still hit with a “processing” fee which you must pay – or else.

So it’s no surprise that Colorado doesn’t give money (fines and restitution levied) back to people whose convictions have been overturned.

Soon, the Unelected Nine (the Supreme Court) will weigh in on the “constitutionality” of this business.  A case headed their way involves a man named Corey Statham, who was arrested in Ramsey County, MN and charged with “disorderly conduct.” He was taken to the clink but released after the charges against him were dropped.

His money, however, was not released.

He was charged a $25 “booking fee” and other assorted “processing” fees by his gaolers. He is contesting this theft under color of law on the basis that he wasn’t convicted of any crime, hence why should he be punished?

The Unelected Nine are not likely to be sympathetic, having previously legitimated assault and battery upon the Fourth and Fifth as well as other amendments. For example, the ex-constitutional requirement that the accused be presumed innocent until proved guilty (in a court of law) has been gotten rid of by declaring things like automated red light/speeding tickets to be mere administrative affairs. Since there’s no prospect of jail time, you (the accused) lose the right to your day in court, including your ex-right to confront your accuser. Instead, you may be allowed to file some kind of written appeal, which may or may not be read by anyone – who may or may not be interested in anything you have to say.

And – naturlich – you must pay first and regardless. Red Queen style. Maybe they’ll give you your money back. Probably not.

It’s dirty pool, old man.

And the game is getting more serious.

But there is an upside. The fools have showed us their hand. It is clear now to all but the terminally stupid what’s up – and why. We see behind the curtain and know what the man is up to.

It isn’t coincidental that contempt for law enforcement is no longer a feeling felt only by the criminal class. The working and middle classes understand that it’s not about their “safety.”

Or the “safety” of the cops, either.

It’s about separating them from their money using any means necessary. About abusing them as badly as any Redcoat, those many years ago. Which brings up the line in the Declaration about sending hither “swarms of officers” to “eat out their substance.”

Rings a bell, doesn’t it?